How to record HDTV via Firewire(IEEE 1394) on Windows XP MCE

This method of HDTV recording should work for most Firewire (IEEE 1394) enabled TV tuners. It has been tested on the Mitsubishi Integrated TV's, SA3250HD, Motorola 620X (with firmware 7.10 or higher), and the Samsung T165. Please post about other TV Tuners you have tried it with.

Please note that this method will not allow you to capture copy-protected (5C encrypted) content.

This method captures the original Transport stream (.TS) sent by your HDTV provider, so if it is sent with DD 5.1 then you will capture DD5.1. This method only works with Digital channels, analogue cable channels will not work.

This method does not allow you to transfer shows already recorded on your HD DVR, you can only record live HDTV.

Drivers

1. Download device drivers
   firestb.msi is a MCE 2005 STB Controller for Firewire recording/channel change, Serial DirecTV channel change, USB R5000HD recording/channel change.
   
   Download firestb.msi
   
   There are more MCE specific items included in the package, if you are using using XP then you only need the driver. You may also want to play with the channel changing software, which works on both XP and MCE. There is now a beta Vista Driver as well.
   
   For drivers only, download a driver package that is continually updated to support new STBs, and there are some differences in how the drivers are loaded. If you have issues install the firestb drivers, it can be used with firestb instead of the drivers included with its installer.
   
   Please note that it does require you to force Windows XP to accept the drivers.
   
2. Download Software that can record/capture HDTV using STB Controller
   • CapDVHS
   • DCTrecord
   • MCE sofware
   
   
3. Install firestb.msi and MCE components
   Double click on firestb.msi to install it.
   
   If you are using MCE, install the components you want. If you are running Windows XP then at the very least install the "Firewire Drivers" component. You won't be able to double click on it, you will have to use a different command to skip the MCE required screen:
   

   MSIEXEC /i firestb.msi IDENT=0

   Now you can just choose the driver.
   
4. Plug in the 1394 cable
   1. Found new hardware wizard will come up. Keep hitting cancel until you see "Tuner AV/C Device" or "Tuner AV/C Panel" as the hardware that was found. Install both like any other device.
   2. Then Choose Install the software automatically (Recommended).
   3. Click Next
   4. Keep clicking Next.
   5. Then click Finished.
   6. Click cancel on any other devices that are automatically detected.
   7. I would go back into Device manager and disable the other devices so windows doesn't keep looking for drivers on reboot.
5. Using CapDVHS
   Open CapDVHS. A device should be listed under capture device.
   
   Under settings you may mark the following check-boxes:
   • Convert 188 bytes
   • Check PTS
   • Delete to SyncByte
   
   You may use .TS file extension for all your recordings and leave the default file name format.
   
   1. Select the "Data Info." tab and hit the "Rec" Button.
   2. You should see the info populated.
   3. Hit "Stop" and check your file.
6. Playing captured .TS (Transport stream) files
   You can use freeware VLC player to play .TS files.
   
7. Watching live HD TV with VLC without capturing it first
   1. Open VLC.
   2. Select "File" -> "Open Capture Device".
   3. To the right of "Video device name" click "Refresh List".
   4. Then choose "Panasonic MPEG2TS Tape Sub" from the drop down.
   5. Click "OK"
   Please note that if I hit "Configure" or "Advanced Options" it blue screens my computer. This seems to be much more resource intensive than watching a captured file.
   
   You can also setup a shortcut to run VLC with the parameters for picking up the stream automatically:
   

   "C:\Program Files\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe" "dshow:// :dshow-vdev="Panasonic MPEG2TS Tape Subunit Device" :dshow-adev="" :dshow-size="" :no-dshow-config "

8. Troubleshooting
   • If the driver is loaded but the files are 0bytes after recording. Then you may have the driver loaded improperly or your cable company may have copy protection (5C) enabled. Try a different channel or search for someone who lives near you to see if they are having the same problem. You may also be able to reboot the Tuner. It is impossible to record content marked copy once, because it is protected from multiple copies. Typically if your provider is encrypting, than the only channels you would be able to record are the channels that are also available over the air.
     
   • You may also have the wrong firmware version for the Motorola 620x, to check this.
     To check firmware on Moto 6200:
     Menu -> Setup -> Cable Box -> See Configuration -> one of the entries on that page is Firmware.
     
     If you are using a Motorola 620X with an older firmware you may need to replace your Meitape.inf from the zip file with this one. Try the original one first.

Thanx to bdraw for the guide.